School Bus Overturns in Pr. George's

44 Students Hospitalized With Minor Injuries; Driver Is Accused of Speeding

School bus 1156 was going too fast. That much was clear to the 44 students heading to William Wirt Middle School in the Riverdale area just before 9 a.m. yesterday.

A frightened girl asked the driver to slow down, four passengers recalled. But he didn't, the four said. And the students received an unpleasant lesson in physics: The top-heavy bus, whipping into a left turn from Riverdale Road onto 61st Place, tipped over onto its side, grinding to a halt and throwing screaming children into a heap.

The students and the driver were sent to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening, police and school officials said. Antonio Nate Robinson, 46, was charged with speeding, negligent driving and not wearing a seat belt, said Officer Henry Tippett, a spokesman for the Prince George's County police. The violations could result in a total fine of $435 and six points on his driver's license.

Robinson, of Hyattsville, had five traffic violations in Maryland from 1985 to 1992, according to court records. The violations included failing to obey a stop sign and driving the wrong way down a one-way street. In Virginia in 1998, he was ticketed for going 70 to 74 mph in a 55 mph zone.

The Maryland violations were considered minor and old enough not to prevent him from being hired as a bus driver by the Prince George's County school system in August 2006.

Robinson's record "certainly came up during his screening," said John White, a spokesman for the school system. "There were no traffic accidents, so to speak. . . . He had 14 years between '92 and 2006. We thought that was a significant time with a clean driving record, and we thought with training he could be a responsible driver."

The accident sparked anger among parents.

"What about seat belts? What about screening these drivers?" asked Marscher Williams, whose daughter Deshaun was riding the bus.

By and large, school buses are remarkably safe. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest form of motor vehicle transportation, with a fatality rate that is almost one-sixth the rate for passenger vehicles. On average, fewer than eight passengers die in school bus crashes every year.

Lon Anderson, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said retrofitting buses with seat belts would cost millions for little gain.

"The fact that we had 40 kids on a bus, it turned over, and nobody was seriously hurt would indicate that we are doing pretty well not having seat belts on buses," Anderson said.

Students who were aboard the bus yesterday recalled fear, shock and chaos as the five-ton vehicle lurched.